Mouth of the Platte Newsletter Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. Important MOP Notices:

Transcription

1 Mouth of the Platte Newsletter Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation Volume 2011, Issue 4 ÍÑyíBraxge (Ee-Nee-Brath-ga)(Otoe-Missouria) December 2011 Important MOP Notices: Mouth of the Platte Needs You...and your continuing membership. This is an early reminder that all memberships are renewable by the end of March each year. Please keep this in mind and renew promptly when the annual member form appears in the March issue of the newsletter. Or consider renewing early, at the end of the calendar year, if that is easier to remember. Member forms can be obtained from MOP Board members at the monthly meetings. Memberships will still run to the end of March in order to limit record keeping confusion. If you have questions, please contact Mary Langhorst at: Mouth of the Platte PO Box 3344 mouthoftheplatte@cox.net Omaha, NE While You are Feeling Generous As 2011 comes to a close, there is a final opportunity to donate to charitable causes during December. We hope you consider an additional donation to the Mouth of the Platte programs that rely on these additional monies for support. These include: Mouth of the Platte programming support Boy Scouts of America, local support for Lewis and Clark badges, Eagle Scout programs Newspapers in Education, to keep Lewis and Clark curriculum available to schools Please specify which program is your charitable intention when sending donations to: Mouth of the Platte Chapter PO Box 3344 Omaha, NE This is also a good time to remember local organizations that support public education, including the saga of Lewis and Clark. Consider making donations to the Western Historic Trails Center, or Gifford Farm Education Center (ESU3 Foundation). Newsletter Delivery Going Digital from the editor [Also see note regarding delivery of meeting reminders under MOP Meeting Roster on the final page of this newsletter.] Don t panic. We are being pulled kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, but we are making the changes in deliberate steps, instead of leaping headlong into social media, smart phones, and instant messaging. Beginning with the March issue (Vol. 2012, No. 1), the newsletter will be distributed by the editor as a.pdf file attachment to an message. To be clear, it will not appear in the body of the , rather it will need to be opened or downloaded before opening, depending our your software capabilities. Sending in this file format assures the document may be printed on standard 8½ by 11 paper without the layout suffering. It also allows the use of color images and the ability to imbed active links to websites. There are a few steps each member/family should take to assure prompt delivery of future newsletters: If you do not have the Adobe Reader software for viewing.pdf files, it is available as a free download at: Consider your download speed. The multipage documents run between 1 and 2 Mb in size. In other words, they will download over a modem, but slowly. Send the address to which the newsletter should be sent to the editor at: sg31012@abbnebraska.com. Do this even if your is on your member record. I do not have access to member records, and will be managing this newsletter only mail list separately. We know there are a few people who do not have or sufficiently current computer resources to handle large PDF document files. For those few, the newsletter will still be printed and sent by US Postal Service. If you require surface mail delivery, please confirm this with the MOP Board. The change in delivery method eliminates most concerns about printing and postage costs, thereby removing apparent limitation on the number of pages per issue. So this is a good time to remind all members they may submit articles on topics broadly related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition or the modern Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. Whether you want to promote a theory or report on a trip along the route, you are encouraged to contact the editor to discuss your ideas. One new addition to the newsletter will be a double-sided insert featuring educational activities aimed at children (of all ages) using Corps of Discovery themes. This is the brainchild of Della, along with assistance from Mary Langhorst, Shirley Enos and KC Hummel. They will be soliciting your ideas, as well.

2 Mouth of the Platte Chapter Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Inc. Keepers of the Story. Stewards of the Trail Monthly meetings held third Tuesdays Social time, 5:30 Dinner 6:00 Program about 7: Meeting Schedule: 20 December 17 January 21 February 20 March 17 April 15 May Annual events: June: Lewis and Clark Festival Lewis and Clark State Park Onawa, IA July: White Catfish Camp Western Historic Trails Center Council Bluffs, IA Tuesday Morning Study Group: 9 a.m., most weeks Western Historic Trails Center 3434 Richard Downing Ave. Council Bluffs, IA MOP Board of Directors President Shirley Enos ts.enos@hotmail.com Vice President: Dick Williams rnwilliams2@gmail.com Secretary: Mary Langhorst mikilang1@cox.net Treasurer: Della Bauer omaha1@cox.net Members: KC Collins Hummel kc.hummel@iowa.gov Thomas Coenen thomascoenen250@gmail.com Newsletter editor: Suzanne Gucciardo sg31012@abbnebraska.com mouthoftheplatte@cox.net President s Note: With Christmas rapidly approaching I think of the men finishing Ft. Mandan this time of year. Do you suppose as they chopped down trees and dragged logs to the fort they thought of winters past, when they were home, or the previous winter at Camp Dubois when none of this had started yet? Thoughts of Charlie Floyd were still among them. Perhaps their thoughts turned dark and they pondered who would die next. They all knew they were going where no Euro-Americans had gone before come spring. On those bitterly cold winter nights they must have had thoughts about what challenges lie ahead of them. On Christmas morning 1804, the Captains were startled awake by the sound of celebratory rifle fire. The men were making the most of the holiday, even though they were not home with loved ones sharing songs by the fire. They were in the middle of Indian country in a log fort across the river from thousands of Mandan and Hidatsa people. Because of the peaceable relations among all the parties, they had the most comfortable stay they could have hoped for, I think. As Sergeant Ordway wrote on Christmas day, "We had the best to eat that could be had and continued firing, dancing and frolicking during the whole day." My wish for you this Christmas is that you have the best that can be had (skip the rifle firing). Dance and frolic with family and friends and remember that even in the midst of uncertain times you can put it all away for the day and rejoice in just being alive. Shirley Enos, President A Bit about Our New President submitted by Shirley Enos Hello Everyone, I'm your new president for the year. I am pleased that Della Bauer, Mary Langhorst, Dick Williams, Tom Coenan, and KC Hummel are with me on the MOP Board. Their experience and support will surely be beneficial to me as the year continues. I can't say just exactly when it started but as a young adult living in Omaha in the late 60s I would cross the Missouri River often, always looking downstream and imagining the Corps of Discovery coming up. I still do it. Many times I imagine the far off banter of the men; maybe rowing chants or a watchman calling out a warning for an approaching sandbar, or the French Voyagers shouting out comments in their own language. I hear it all in my head. Am I a Lewis and Clark nerd? You bet. My membership with Mouth of the Platte Chapter began when I joined the Tuesday morning study group in April of Previously I was very busy, along with my husband, raising our four children. With the children grown it was clear to me that I should do something for myself, to serve the community, and also have some fun. For the past seven years I have been involved with Gifford Farm Education Center conducting tours of the working farm for bus loads of school children. I am facilitator for several Lewis and Clark programs, and I find it exciting to impart the history of the Expedition to young school children in the community. With the lingering flood this past summer, Gifford Farm was devastated. Damage to most of the buildings reached the condemnation stage and these will have to be rebuilt. It is hoped that by spring we will be able to continue our educational work and that thousands of school children will again have an opportunity to witness a working farm. Of course, there is always a need for donations, so if you see fit, any contribution will help Gifford Farm open its gates again to the public.

3 Regional Meeting in Hoosier Country submitted by Della Bauer Four members of the Mouth of the Platte Chapter, Mary Langhorst, Ava and Bob Hastert, and I attended a regional meeting in Lafayette, Indiana, hosted by the Ohio River Chapter in early November. It was a commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Tippecanoe. A 4-day symposium was offered at Purdue University the same weekend. The topics varied from the fur trade around the Western Great Lakes, archeological dig findings at the battle ground and Prophetstown, events of the battle, and resistance by Native Americans in the War of Two chiefs, Paula Pechonick of the Delaware Tribe, and Glenna Wallace of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, presented very moving views about the Battle of Tippecanoe and the lives of their people and culture in the early 1800s. Some historians view this battle as the beginning of the War of Purdue University is 7 miles south of the battlefield in West Lafayette, Indiana across the Wabash River from Lafayette. The university started out of the Morrill Act signed by President Lincoln in This act turned public lands over to any state that agreed to use the proceeds from the sale of land to maintain a college. John Purdue s gift of $150,000 helped to establish the college. The Indiana legislature named the college Purdue University. Classes began in 1874 with six instructors and 39 students. Fourteen students were in the first graduating class. This year s enrollment is approximately 40,000. At the hotel, the Ohio River Chapter held one of its quarterly meetings. There were a number of lectures and every speaker presented interesting topics: Captain Michael Dotson, DeBois Company of Spies and Guides 1811, accompanied by his dog Seamen, suggested a spy could be a fur trader or frontiersman. Lou Ritten s presentation on The 1838 Potawatomi Trail of Death, was sad and interesting. He had followed the trail from northern Indiana to Osawatomie, Kansas. Bill Smith discussed The Floyds of Tippecanoe. The Floyd family was involved in many areas of early history. Margaret Wozniak discussed Lewis and Clark, Western Expansion, and Cultural and Spiritual Awareness. Everyone should appreciate his or her surroundings. Enjoy the moment not only in photography, but take in a deep breath and be grateful for the moment. On Saturday and Sunday, we walked the grounds of the battlefield with its tall monument, attended lectures at various locations, enjoyed the area museum, and did our usual thing bought more books. On Monday, November 7, we returned to the battlefield for the actual 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Tippecanoe. The presentation of the colors, prayers, and laying of the wreath by a young Native American lady and a Boy Scout at a marker, closed the commemoration and weekend. After the commemoration, Mary and I followed Jim and Ginny Voss, from Chicago, to the burial site of William Bratton at Waynetown, Indiana. An informative marker at the cemetery explains his importance to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. We bid Jim and Ginny farewell, and hoped we see them at the annual meeting in Clarksville next summer. We found an alternate interstate to the Quad Cities via Peoria, but got lost with the assistance of the GPS. (Don t understand it). The Ohio River Chapter provided everyone with a very interesting and informative meeting. As suggested before, one can t go wrong by attending a meeting hosted by the ORC. William Bratton s Gravesite Waynetown, Indiana submitted by Mary Langhorst The Old Pioneer Cemetery is 30 miles south of LaFayette, in the quaint village of Waynetown, Indiana. Established in December 1829 in Middletown, Indiana, the cemetery predates Waynetown which was established in The last burial was in William Bratton is buried in the Old Pioneer Cemetery. William Bratton was born July 29, With the rank of private in the U.S. Army, he joined the Lewis and Clark Expedition Corps of Discovery near Clarksville, Indiana, and explored the lands of the Louisiana Purchase and the Pacific Northwest. Bratton s duties included hunter, blacksmith, and salt-maker. He completed the entire journey and was discharged from the army on October 10, William Bratton settled on a farm in Wayne Township in 1822 and held various offices, including Justice of the Peace. He died November 11, 1841 at the age of 63. [Contrary to the marker s information, John Shields is also buried in Indiana, in a family plot at the Little Flock Baptist Cemetery south of Corydon in Harrison County.]

4 Free Land West of the Mississippi submitted by Darlene Backhaus On May 20, 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act into law which allowed private individuals to file an application for 160 acres of land, improve the land, and file a deed for the title. The applicant was required to live on the land for five years and show evidence of making improvements. In 1909 the Act was updated to increase the number of acres to 320 and later (1916) settlers could apply for 640 acres of land for ranching. Homestead National Monument of America, administered by the National Park Service, is appropriately on some of the first acres claimed under the Homestead Act and is located in Gage County, four miles west of Beatrice, Nebraska. On November 8, members of the MOP Lewis and Clark Study Group, namely Jim Christensen, Tom Coenen, Kira Gale, Shirley Enos, and Darlene Backhaus, travelled to Beatrice to visit the Homestead Heritage and Education Center, arriving in time to enjoy a brown bag lunch and conversation. The Monument includes 100 acres of restored tall grass prairie and hiking trails. We all could relate to agriculture items from pioneer days. Displays of early plows, planters, cultivators, stackers, harvesting equipment and machines brought personal stories to the surface. From family stories, memories came to mind of ancestors arriving from the Eastern States in covered wagons and settling in Iowa or Nebraska to till the land. Memories of sadness were evident when viewing scenes of hungry grasshoppers totally consuming agriculture crops, fence posts, clothing and straw hats, as well as the drought and the dust bowl days of the early 1930s. The Education Center is interestingly displayed and an asset to the education of our school children, conveying to them the struggles of the many people brave enough to settle the Great Plains and make it the Breadbasket we know today. Their struggle, exemplified by staying with the land to eke out a living and passing on their knowledge and experiences in agriculture to following generations, is to be admired. The 150 th anniversary of one of America s most influential pieces of legislation, The Homestead Act of 1862, will be commemorated in Many events and programs are planned to honor the impact it had on settling and forming this country, so it will be a good time to visit, experience, and learn our heritage. Homestead National Monument Celebrates 150 Years of Free Land The National Park Service has a number of special events scheduled to commemorate the impact the Homestead Acts had on the building of the American West. Check out all their public activities at: Of special interest to history enthusiasts is the first of its kind exhibit of the original homestead act signed by Abraham Lincoln. The April 25 to May 28, 2012, exhibit will have all pages of the document on public display outside of Washington for the first time. Exhibit hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday Study Group Fall Activities submitted by Jim Christiansen The MOP Tuesday morning study group continues meeting from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., except on days when the Mouth of the Platte dinner meetings are held. Usually 12 to 20 members gather for Lewis and Clark related discussions, and more are always welcome. Our meetings start with Show and Tell during which we share anything uncovered in the past week that is connected to Lewis and Clark. Sometimes the discussions veer off course, but our intrepid leader, Ava Hastert, always seems to get us back on track. Following this general sharing, a member of the group leads us in studying a topic selected by that member. Don Shippy put together a chronology of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This fall, our topics focused on the Preexpedition period. The chronology also contains materials during the Expedition and Post-expedition. We will decide in January whether to study more topics from the Pre-expedition period or go on to the Expedition itself. Shirley Enos presented on the Columbia River, Della Bauer presented on Early Explorers (pre-lewis and Clark), Kira Gale on Indian Wars, Betty Smallen on mentors of Lewis and Clark, Jim Christiansen on pre-lewis and Clark Montana and Yellowstone River history, and Tom Coenen on the American Philosophical Society. Topics yet to be covered include Florence Clouse on a Second Look at Jefferson s Letter to Lewis, Marian Meyer on Lewis and Clark Homes and Birthplaces, and Darlene Backhaus on Making Ready. Road to Rushmore with Thomas Jefferson Submitted by Mary Langhorst In early September, Della Bauer, Mary Langhorst and members of the Encounters on the Prairie Chapter (EOTP) of South Dakota caravanned to Rapid City for a workshop about Mount Rushmore and Thomas Jefferson. Bill Stephens, president of EOTP, spent a year in conversations with National Park Service Mount Rushmore Superintendant Cheryl Schrier, and Historian Amy Bracewell, as well as EOTP member Jay Vogt, director of the South Dakota Historical Society, to design a workshop about the development of Mount Rushmore which included a question and answer session and discussion. The workshop was held in a conference room normally reserved for Mount Rushmore staff. Della and I were very honored to be a part of this visit with the stone-faced Thomas Jefferson and to learn the history and behind the scenes stories about Mount Rushmore. We enjoyed our day with members of our fellow chapter, Encounters on the Prairie, and hope to attend another workshop sometime next year.

5 Mountain Man Rendezvous at Western Historic Trails Center submitted by KC Collins Hummel The fur trade era came alive at the Western Historic Trails Center during the 1st Annual Mountain Rendezvous held September 22-25, Booshway, John Lizard Wilcox put together four days of excellent educational programming. The first two days were dedicated to sharing the history of the mountain man era with local school children. The camp was open to the public each day. During the rendezvous visitors experienced beading demonstrated by Sharon Moon Blossom Ripke, trapping by Dave Trapper Kermin and use of the hawk or tomahawk by Brad Big Horn Hart. Richard Rose spoke about brain tanning hides and Don Strinz, who created the teepees for Dances With Wolves, was on hand to talk about them and explain keeping warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Mark Peatrowski showed the art of flint knapping and featured speaker, Dean Slader, brought his forge and demonstrated 18 th and 19 th century blacksmithing. Retired educator and musician, Don Knudsen, displayed his mountain man equipment. Fur Trade Presented at MOP Meeting Don Knudsen was also the November guest presenter for the MOP. He summarized man s reliance on fur clothing from pre-columbian times to the 19th Century, when cheap and reliable production of silk and cotton replaced the dwindling furbearer populations. His prodigious knowledge kept the rapt attention of the audience, which was equally entranced by the songs he composes about historic incidents and lifeways. Middle Missouri River Lewis and Clark Network Update submitted by Dick Williams The Middle Missouri River Lewis and Clark Network (MidMo) held an annual fall meeting at Fort Atkinson State Historical Park November 17, Participants at the meeting included representatives from many state and local tourism agencies and visitor bureaus, as well as folks from the National Park Service, Nebraska Department of Roads, the Nebraska Historical Society and other organizations. The meeting featured a presentation by Jeff Smith of J. Greg Smith, Inc., a marketing firm hired by MidMo to develop and implement a strategy to market the Lewis and Clark Trail in Iowa, Nebraska and southern South Dakota. The program is called Welcome to Lewis and Clark Country. The marketing program includes point of sale marketing information, web site development, and an advertising campaign. Point of sale includes preparing materials to be distributed to a variety of organizations along the trail at no cost to the organization. Examples were presented including a poster, brochures, window decal, counter card and web site. Up to 1,000 posters will be distributed, 20,000 brochures and a new five page web site with links to other organizations. The marketing plan aims to appeal to a population of 5 million people in the tri-state area. The advertising campaign will concentrate on newspapers and internet. The goal is to roll out the program and distribute the point of sale information in the spring New officers for the organization were elected at the meeting. Erv Freisen, director of the Nebraska City Lewis and Clark Center was elected President. Bev Hinds from Sioux City, Iowa, was elected Vice President. Bev is also President of the Sargent Floyd Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation. Della Bauer, past President of the Mouth of the Platte Chapter, was elected Secretary. The Thursday March 22, 2012, meeting of MidMo will be coordinated with the roll out of the Welcome to Lewis and Clark Country marketing program and held at the Omaha National Park Service building from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Looking Ahead to September 2012 The 2012 Surveyors Historical Society Annual Rendezvous is planned for September 13 to 15, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. This conference on historic surveys focuses on a different topic each day. Day one will highlight the 200 th anniversary of the General Land Office which occurs in Presentations on day two focus on the transcontinental railroad surveys. The surveys of the Lewis and Clark Expedition will be debated from various presenters viewpoints on day three. Other activities include tours to local sites associated with historic survey events. Membership in the Surveyors Historic Society is not required to attended, and single day attendance is available. Further details and registration information is anticipated near the beginning of the year. More information will appear in future issues of the MOP newsletter.

6 Update on the LCTHF It was with dismay, but no real surprise, that the leadership of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation resigned en masse on September 30. Immediate past president Jim Mallory, President Stephanie Ambrose Tubbs, President-elect Bryant Boswell, and Vice President Dick Prestholdt stepped down when it was clear they no longer had full membership support for their vision of LCTHF s future. The contentious member session during the Omaha Annual Meeting underscored differing opinions that LCTHF board members had struggled with for nearly a year. Although a dramatic change in leadership could be disastrous for some organizations, this opportunity has called on the loyalties and abilities that created and sustained the Foundation for more than 40 years. As a result, the organization has regained a focus on the central interests of its members and can now concentrate on building financial stability. Publication of We Proceeded On remains a primary function, and will be overseen by the recently hired editor, Caroline Patterson. The Portage Route Chapter has been managing the Great Falls office until a new trail stewardship director/office manager is hired. Lorna Hainesworth fills the Gap at the October MOP Meeting submitted by Mary Langhorst Twenty-nine members of the Mouth of the Platte Chapter gathered for a relaxing dinner at Riverside Grille, Council Bluffs, Iowa, on October 18. After a short business meeting directed by new MOP President, Shirley Enos, the membership enjoyed the company of Lorna Hainesworth, of the Ohio River Chapter, who returned to Omaha for an educational presentation about Meriwether Lewis s Survey at Cumberland Gap. Lorna carefully and methodically took us on a journey with Dr. Thomas Walker and Meriwether Lewis as she explained the history behind Walker s Survey of 1779 and Lewis Survey of 1806, both of which involved the dividing line between Kentucky and Tennessee. The complete story of this survey dispute can be found in Lorna s recent booklet, Meriwether Lewis s Survey at Cumberland Gap, published in 2011 and available from her. Executive Committee/Board Officers Jay Buckley, President; Utah Bob Gatten, President-Elect; North Carolina Margaret Gorski, Vice President; Montana Jerry Garrett, Treasurer; Missouri Larry McClure, Secretary; Washington At Large Board Members Ken Jutzi; California Barb Kubick; Washington Ron Laycock; Minnesota Gary Moulton; Nebraska Philipa Newfield; California Jim Rosenbeger; Wisconsin Clay Smith; Montana Bill Stevens; South Dakota Dick Williams; Nebraska Della Presides over Final Meeting After five years as MOP captain, Della Bauer read her final journal entry to open a meeting on September 20. She has stepped down as Board chair to a wellearned rest after leading us through a regional meeting en route to the national LCTFH annual meeting last summer. The immensity of those tasks was well demonstrated in a photo show presented by KC Hummel of the Road to Omaha, which documented the months of hard work by the numerous dedicated MOP volunteers. These efforts would not have been successful without the stalwart leadership of Della, Mary Langhorst and Dick Williams, the final three pillars of the planning committee. In recognition of the herculean tasks they undertook, the MOP membership presented each of them with an inscribed crystal to honor their accomplishments. Note from Della At the August dinner meeting, Mary Langhorst and I each received a long-stemmed rose with a card attached. The card read: CONGRATULATIONS! On a job well done you made us proud. I m not sure who went the extra mile to thank us, but whoever you are, I was thrilled with the rose and comment. Thank you for appreciating the work we put into the 2011 Annual Meeting in the Omaha, Nebraska/Council Bluffs, Iowa area. Volunteer Recognition Dinner Jerry Garrett made Della promise to do something for the nearly 75 volunteers who helped make the 2011 LCTHF annual meeting a success.. And she, along with Mary and Dick, did so in spades! Most of the volunteers gathered at the Western Historic Trail Center on November 1 to be treated to a sumptuous buffet prepared by Patricia Catering of Bellevue. The seemingly endless supply of cold plates and chafing dishes were only outshined by the tasty desserts.

7 Just in Time for the Holidays The Character of Meriwether Lewis Explorer in the Wilderness Clay Jenkinson University of Oklahoma Press November 11, 2011 Paperback/hardcover, 250 pages. The Character of Meriwether Lewis: Explorer in the Wilderness is a revision of an earlier book, greatly expanded with new scholarship and insights gained through Jenkinson's extensive participation in the Lewis and Clark Expedition Bicentennial. Jenkinson discusses Lewis sense of humor, his oft-stated fear that the expedition he was leading might collapse, his self-conscious learnedness, and his inability to re-enter polite society after his return. The book attempts to reconstruct from Lewis' journal entries and letters his rich, troubled personality and his aspirations to heroism. When the American mythology surrounding him is removed and Lewis is allowed to reveal himself, he emerges as a fuller, more human, and endlessly fascinating explorer. Available through the Dakota Institute Press of the Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation: Order online at or or through your favorite bookstore. The North American Journals of Prince Maximilian of Wied Edited by Stephen S. Witte and Marsha V. Gallagher. Translated by William J. Orr, Paul Schach, and Dieter Karch. Joslyn Art Museum, with University of Oklahoma Press Volume 1: May 1832 April 1833 Published 2008 Oversized hardcover, over 130 illustrations; 544 pages. Volume 2: April September 1833 Published 2010 Oversized hardcover, over 230 illustrations; 607 pages. This first full English language translation of the journals is lavishly illustrated with art created by both Maximilian and the Swiss painter Karl Bodmer, much of which comes from the Joslyn s collection. The third and final volume is scheduled for publication in Available through the Joslyn Art Museum, or at The Great Plains Guide to Custer 85 Forts, Fights and Other Sites Jeff Barnes Stackpole Books (January 1, 2012) Paperback, 256 pages. The Great Plains Guide to Custer is the first historical travel guide to 85 sites visited by George Custer in his decade west of the Mississippi. You ll find not only directions to the battlefields and forts at which Custer served, you ll also find locations where he met with Buffalo Bill Cody, the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, and William Tecumseh Sherman. You ll also learn of the personal conflicts Custer had on the plains, with commanders, fellow officers and even a buffalo. The book gives detailed directions to well-known-eventsyet-seldom-seen sites such as the Cheyenne/Sioux Village and Kidder Massacre in Kansas, the Great Buffalo Hunt s Camp Alexis in Nebraska, or the desertion camp in Colorado. It pinpoints the location of historical markers and artifacts connected to Custer and the Seventh Cavalry, and features information on more than 100 related historical sites and attractions to fill out your Great Plains excursion. May be pre-ordered through or signed copies will be available from the author s website at: fortsofthenorthernplains.com Update on La Nell King Books to Tempt History Buffs La Nell is at home again where she continues to have home health care for 4 to 6 hours a day, mostly in the mornings and evenings to help her husband cope with daily living activities for her. She is rapidly improving physically and soon will be able to negotiate getting out for short trips. Her inability to speak still frustrates her, although La Nell has no problem understanding others. She enjoys listening to people speaking and laughing, but has had few visitors since returning home. Her husband encourages friends to visit any afternoon, following lunch to into the early evening. Hearing others speak is great therapy for regaining her speech. If the coffee pot isn t on, it soon can be. If cars are in the drive, they are at home. If you are not able to visit, please consider sending a note or card to let La Nell know her MOP friends are thinking of her especially at this time of year (608 East Patton Street, Papillion, NE 68046).

8 MOP Meeting Roster: Monthly Meeting Reminders It is important that information about upcoming events arrive in members hands in a timely manner. To assure this is done consistently and as cost effectively as possible, the MOP Board has decided to use notifications in place of the postcard reminders sent in the past. If your address was not previously provided in your member record, please send it to mouthoftheplatte@cox.net. Postcards will still be sent for the few members who may not have , and this need should also be confirmed by contacting Mary Langhorst at: Mouth of the Platte PO Box 3344 mouthoftheplatte@cox.net Omaha, NE December 20 Holiday Banquet The annual MOP Holiday Banquet will be at The Riverside Grille, 2 Harrahs Boulevard, Council Bluffs, again this year. The silent auction usually offered at this time will be held at a meeting or event in A raffle for an assortment of Lewis and Clark-related items will be offered in its place. The evening s entertainment will be bluegrass and music of the 1700s and 1800s played by the Roundhouse Band. A sampling of their style was provided by Don Knudsen, a member of the group, during his November presentation for the MOP. Cash Bar opens 5 p.m. Buffet serving begins 6 p.m. Mixed green salad w/balsamic vinaigrette dressing Prime Rib w/au jus and horseradish Parmesan Crusted Chicken breast w/white wine sauce Parsley new potatoes Wild rice Green beans Almandine Dinner rolls Iced Tea and Coffee Please join us for this night of fun and music. $25 per person RSVP with name and number attending to Mary Langhorst by Sunday evening, December 18, at: mouthoftheplatte@cox.net or January 17 Jeff Barnes Location to be determined. Unforeseen circumstances makes Anthony s unavailable for the January MOP dinner meeting. Details will be sent out when an alternate location is finalized. If the site is in question, the program is not. Omaha historian Jeff Barnes will be returning as the MOP guest and presenter. In November 2008, Jeff spoke about the historic and contemporary military installations in the greater Omaha- Council Bluffs area. That topic was taken from his book, Forts Of The Northern Plains: Guide to Historic Military Posts of the Plains Indians Wars, published in August of that year. Jeff s January presentation will be George Armstrong Custer s 24 Hours in Omaha. This is drawn from his most recent publication, Great Plains Guide to Custer, The: 85 Forts, Fights, & Other Sites, scheduled for release January 1, February 21 Lou Ritten (invited) Date to be determined. MOP is negotiating with Lou Ritten, founding member of the Illini Chapter of the LCTHF, to speak on the displacement of the Potawatomi tribe from their northern Indiana homeland to Osawatomie, west of Kansas City. This little known forced march in 1828 became known as the Potawatomi Trail of Death. To accommodate Lou s travel from Chicago, the monthly dinner meeting may be moved to Friday, February 17. Due to the uncertainties of the January and February meetings, watch for updates in your or on the MOP webpage: